In February 2016 an 18-year-old cyclist, travelling at 18 mph on a fixed-wheel track bike with no front brakes, crashed into and killed a 44-year-old woman as she was crossing Old Street in London. The tragic accident exposed a potential gap in UK criminal law.
The offence of causing death by careless and dangerous driving applied only to “mechanically-propelled vehicles”, which excluded bicycles. The offence of “dangerous cycling” (without causing death or injury) covered only the manner of the cycling, unlike the dangerous driving offence, which covers both the manner of the driving and the state of the driven vehicle.